A Promise To Smile
by bloomelon
Summary: It is said a shinobi shouldn't act upon impulse or emotion, but what if that's all you have left? NaruHina and NejiHina


**Unnecessary Disclaimer: Needless to say, I DON'T OWN NARUTO.**

Without giving away the result of this plot, I do intend to make this a NaruHina and NejiHina fanfic. I'm just warning those who don't seem to take the hint that their flames will not be tolerated. So once again if you don't like either pairing, please hit the back button... Thank you.

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The weather in Konoha was bright and pleasantly breezy as the usual commotion was stirring among the streets that morning. The sounds of birds were full of harmony as Hinata stepped out if her room in the Hyuuga estate. She yawned slightly and stretched her arms out in front of her before heading down the hallway. She was leaving for morning practice with her teammates in the usual spot and decided to go early. As Hinata looked around the hallways, she noticed she was the only one present.

'_Geez…_' thought Hinata, bringing her hands together, '_It's kinda creepy for a huge place like this to be so quiet…_'

Feeling uneasy, Hinata walked a few paces faster until she saw her cousin, Neji, walking towards her in the opposite direction looking straight at her. She immediately looked down, fearing the gaze of her older cousin. As they inched closer and closer, with every footstep increasing in sound, Hinata couldn't help but glance at him. Looking through the spaces in between her bangs, she noted the expression he held was the same as always but the look in his eyes was different. They seem to look past her, like she doesn't exist...

"Hinata-sama," Neji started, "Your father, Lord Hiashi, would like to see you."

At the sound of his voice, Hinata snapped back to reality. Neji was standing inches from her and she was still gazing at him, which made her step back in surprise loosing balance. Neji quickly extended his arms and caught Hinata by her right shoulder and left arm, making her turn a slight pink color.

"Are you alright Hinata-sama?" asked Neji without changing his tone in voice as he released his grasp on her.

"Y-Yes. Thank you..." Hinata quickly responded with small traces of blush on her face. She regained her composure as he repeated her father's message.

"He would like to see you at once." Hinata nodded as Neji respectfully bowed and continued walking but stopped after taking a few steps. His voice uttered her name, "Hinata-sama..."

Hinata looked up but didn't turn around or respond. She couldn't tell whether the tone in his voice has changed or not. A small moment of silence fell upon them as they stood back to back until Hinata uttered a small, "Yes?"

Neji stood there as if he was choosing his words carefully until he began walking again, "Be careful."

Hinata just stood there until she couldn't hear the faint sounds of Neji's footsteps anymore. Hinata sighed gloomily. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool out of herself in front of Neji. Especially Neji. Even after two years, she still can't keep a normal profile before her clumsiness got the best of her. Nothing seems to go right for her lately, but how bad could it get?

Reviving from her downfall Hinata lead herself to her father's room, wondering why her father has summoned her_.  
_

When she entered the main room, she noticed her father standing beside the open rice-paper sliding door, looking out towards the gardens looking distracted. Not knowing how to call for his attention, Hinata began to stutter, "A-Anou…Father…You wished to see me?"

Finally acknowledging her presence, Hiashi looked at his daughter and nodded his head in response, "Yes. Please sit."

Hinata nodded and sat down on her knees as her father did the same. "Hinata…" he started, looking straight at her, "As you know, you will be turning eighteen this year…" As Hiashi began to discuss with Hinata, she couldn't help but feel like her bad luck was just beginning…

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"Man, she sure is late", complained Kiba, standing beside a tree with his arms crossed. Akamaru barked in return as he set himself beside his master. Kiba squatted next to his companion and gave him a scratch behind the ears, "Oi, Shino. Should we start without her?"

Next to Kiba was the third member of Team Kurenai, Shino. He was in the protection of the trees' shade as he leaned against it. Without looking up from the ground, he gave his usual answer, "…"

Kiba saw no signs of movement from Shino so he shrugged and gave Akamaru a tummy rub.

Somewhere deep within the forest, Hinata was jumping from tree to tree at a fast rate, making her long orchid hair stream behind her. '_This isn't good. I completely forgot about the training session! I hope they aren't mad…_' As Hinata jumped from a tree to the ground, she stood for a small moment to catch her breath before jolting off into a sprint through the vast collection of trees. '_Father…' _Hinata thought_, 'Must I really-_'

As Hinata trailed off into deep thoughts, the only noise coming from the forest was the sound of faint footsteps fading away.

Back with Kiba and Shino, Akamaru was lying down with Kiba, taking a brief nap in the soft morning grass. Shino was still in his previous position looking at a helmet beetle crawling up the bark of the tree. Then, Akamaru raised his head and barked as he wagged his tail.

"Finally," said Kiba, rising up to a sitting position with a yawn while Akamaru ran off towards the direction of the forest. "Hey Shino, Hinata's here…"

As Hinata came out from the shadows of the forest and into the bright open fields, she slowed her pace and came to a stop when she was close enough to her teammates. She panted and leaned on her knees with her hands while Akamaru trotted up to her and barked playfully.

"So you finally made it," Kiba said as he walked towards Hinata with his hands on his sides, "What took you so long? Practice was over an hour ago! And you call yourself a shinobi, eh?"

Hinata, almost catching her breath, clasped her hands together, "I apologize!" she gasped with whatever air remained in her lungs, "I had.. some family matters... to attend to... I'm really sorry!"

The seriousness of Kiba's face suddenly fell apart as he bursted into a muffled laughter. "Hah! I had you that time! I was just kidding around you know!"

As Kiba continued his mirth Hinata had a dumbfounded look that was replaced by an embarrassing shade of red across her face. She didn't like it when Kiba misuses his sarcasm to get her worked up about things. It was his way of teasing her since they became a team as kids. He may be mean about it but Hinata didn't really mind since it shows how close of a team they are. Noticing that the joke was over, Kiba called Akamaru to his side, "But now that you're here, I guess it's time to start practice! Let's go Akamaru! Ready Hinata?"

"I'm ready!" Hinata answered as she activated her Byakugan. At activating it, it reminded her of her father's words earlier and she felt uneasy. But not wanting to worry her comrades, she put on a straight face and settled into her fighting stance, Gentle Fist.

"Yosh!" grinned Kiba as he went down on all fours. "Get ready Hinata! We won't hold back!"

While Kiba, Akamaru and Hinata sparred, Shino was forgotten as he stood beneath the trees.

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"What!" Exclaimed a knuckle-headed ninja.

"Why can't you ever shut up Naruto!" Yelled the constipated kunoichi.

"Hmph…Idiots" commented Sasuke as he watched Sakura wrap her arms around Naruto neck in a dangerous manner.

"Sakura-chan! C-can't… breathe…!" Gasped Naruto, turning into a pale blue.

"Not until you learn to shut the hell up!" She roared tightening her grip within every passing second.

"Ummm…" Sweat-dropped Tsunade from behind her desk.

"Sorry Master…" Sakura apologized, "Please continue. I promise there will be no more interruptions…Ne? Na-ru-to?" Naruto slowly nodded as Sakura gave him the death glare.

"Good" said Tsunade as she leaned on her chair. "As I was saying, the report you turned in about your last mission at the Hoshirenkai has been reviewed. Your teams' impulsive behavior has caused a great deal of damage between the village and the town. Your job was to deliver information about an infiltration, not get involved. This is completely unacceptable-"

"But that's what I don't get!" interrupted Naruto, escaping Sakura's chokehold position, "Why the hell are we getting blamed for saving that girl's life! She was being used by those bastards who hired us! If we hadn't saved her she would have-"

"Enough Naruto!" snapped Tsunade. She thrust her fisted palm on her desk, silencing Naruto. "This is no light matter between right and wrong. I can't keep cleaning up after your 'heroic' deeds! Your mission was to deliver information and that was it! You were in no position to act on your own, less dragging your teammates with you. As a shinobi you should have left them to their own devices."

"It just wasn't right..." Naruto murmured quietly.

Tsunade sighed. '_Why do I put up with this crap?_' she thought, rubbing the sides of her head with the tips of her fingers. "Just... don't let it happen again alright? I have enough crap to deal with here."

'_This room is filled with idiots…_' thought Sasuke. Then again, it must have been more idiotic of him to let the dobe act upon his feelings during the last mission. He should have stopped him and avoided this situation but thinking about it now would be pointless.

"Err…Tsunade-sama?" sweat-dropped Shizune, "Aren't you forgetting something"

"Wha-? Oh, that's right…"Tsunade opened the bottom left drawer from her desk and pulled out a gray sheet of printed paper. "Putting that matter aside for now, i have your next mission. Here, read this." She motioned the flyer to Sasuke.

Sasuke took the leaflet and scanned the lettering while Naruto and Sakura looked over his shoulders to gain a better view. "What's that?" squinted Naruto. He read 'Come relax at SouRyuu Hot springs! Ease your muscles and purify the body and mind. Enjoy our natural waters that contain soothing formulas that will leave you refreshed…'

There was more to the paper but Naruto's attention span didn't allow him to finish. "Oi, Tsunade-baa-chan, what's this?"

Tsunade sighed and explained, "Your next mission is bodyguard duty for an important Konoha individual. It may sound easy but this is a B rank mission that should last for approximately ten days. It's the most I can assign for your team. Don't get me wrong, you may have screwed up on your last mission but each of you as shinobi are important assets to Konoha."

"But master, this location is not within the gates of the village. And more importantly, what does a hot spring have to do with our bodyguard mission?" Sakura asked.

"Good question. Sharp as always Sakura. As you may know, the hidden villages are still waging war against each other and will do anything to gain authority over each other, by any means necessary. Classified information about the village leaks out one way or another which in this case gives us both an advantage and a disadvantage. Our resources tell us the hidden cloud village plans to capture the leaders of several kekkei genkai houses, preferably ocular bloodline limits. It is your duty to protect them at all costs."

"Bodyguard, eh?" Naruto scratched his head. He didn't like bodyguard missions but he figured this would be less boring than carrying old ladies or finding lost cats. "So who are we protecting?"

"Your team and team Kurenai are assigned to guard two Hyuuga representatives. Kakashi won't be accompanying you for this mission so your captain is Kurenai Yuuhi. She'll be the one to brief you on the details of this mission. You all begin tomorrow morning at seven o' hundred. Dismissed!"

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Ehh, decided to change some stuff and i rather like it this way. I'm not feeling as humorous as i was three years ago so sorry for the change in genre. Hopefully you'll read either way. I'll post something later. The chapters might get shorter but it all depends on what i'm writing.


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